Last week
we had a brief discussion on affliction and the following paragraph perhaps did
not reflect the full context of the message:
As God, then, chastises a saint, he will search his conscience,
and the word of God, to determine the cause of his affliction and he will not
rest until he finds the source of his dilemma. And when he finds it, he will be
saddened that he grieved the Holy Spirit with his sin, and repent, giving
thanks to God having saved him from his evil paths.
It was not
the intention to allude to a connection between affliction and sin per se
because God may choose to afflict someone who has not specifically sinned, but
it may be to teach others through the sufferer. The reason why God would afflict saints in various ways is not
always revealed to us and here the lifelong sufferings of the blind man is an
example:
John 9:1 - 3 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His
disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he
was born blind? 3"Neither this man nor his parents
sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might
be displayed in his life."
Before it
was revealed even he did not know why God afflicted him. For him to have
searched his conscience to determine the cause of his affliction would have
been futile, but only as far as the outcome was concerned. Searching one's conscience, and the
Scriptures, in an effort to reform all the more and become more like Christ, is
always a virtuous exercise. And affliction, endured with thanksgiving, is the
fuel that drives reformation, causing prayer, humbleness, searching for more
knowledge, and more godly living.
Removal of
the affliction may not be connected to one's changed lifestyle, and one should
not seek such a correlation because, first, we do not know why God chose to afflict one
in a particular way, and second, it is a sin to barter with God and imagine
that one can trade good works for his favor.
It is easy to stumble over the general correlation that exists between
sin and affliction, but for the elect this correlation doesn't exist because
they are not afflicted to exact satisfaction for sins, but are disciplined
lovingly by the Father.
When we are called to endure our afflictions patiently, we are not
asked to resign ourselves to the state of affliction, but to endure it. Enduring something means to carry on through
despite hardships, to bear with tolerance, to suffer patiently without
yielding. There is no inference that it
means resignation or surrender. It is rather a battle and we are the warriors,
combating evil and sin, both in the world and in ourselves.
So, when I wrote that the saint "…will search his conscience, and the word of God, to determine the
cause of his affliction and he will not rest until he finds the source of his
dilemma…" I was referring to a warrior; one set on being a conqueror. The elect are of that kind of people who
would not rest in resignation, which some unfortunately believe is patience,
until they have doused the flames of their old nature, seeking - instead of
resisting - the Holy Spirit, proactively increasing - instead of waiting like a
beggar for - the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Regardless
of the amount of searching, the saint would ordinarily not find the specific
source of his dilemma, but he would find it generally, namely, his old nature,
the henchman of Satan. If we, then, harbor a disciple of Satan within
ourselves, whom we have to continually combat, suppress, and starve, how can we
be patient, if patience is understood as passive martyrdom? No, there is no such thing as passive
martyrdom; there may only be the warrior-martyr who fights to the end, enduring
patiently - imitating the Lord.
Exodus 15:3 The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name.
Our old
nature will try to pull us down and resist our attempts to mortify it, but we
must overcome it and persevere in the liberation that Christ's sacrifice on the
cross brought for us. We are not subject to the old nature's power, but it
still is a formidable force within us, knowing us intimately well, knowing
exactly what, where and how to derail our pursuit to overcome it. Even if there
are no outwardly visible afflictions that should cause the warrior to rise up
and fight, there should never peace within us, unless that peace is founded on
the liberation that Christ wrought within us.
So, we
should set the peace we have in Christ and the living according to the Spirit
apart from the old nature and the death that it brings. Once they are apart,
and we are able to recognize these two laws within us, can we properly identify
that which is according to the Spirit and that which is according to the devil,
so that we can combat the old, sinful nature from our position of strength in
Christ.
See how
the apostle Paul rationalized and identified these two natures, setting the
apart and preparing for the war that will be fought until his death.
Romans 7:15 - 25 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to
do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not
want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no
longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that
nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire
to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is
not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on
doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who
do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21So I find this law
at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me, 22for
in my inner being I delight in God's law. 23But I see another law at
work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and
making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What
a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks
be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a
slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
The
apostle Paul (II Corinthians 12:8) also pleaded with God to take away the thorn
in his flesh that "tormented" him.
Only after he petitioned God three times did he get an answer: It will
remain to keep him humble. We may also get an answer and, then again, we may
not, depending on what's best for us. But we may never stop petitioning God,
seeking greater knowledge, and above all, seek the presence of the Holy Spirit.
It is a
sin to surrender to one's afflicted state; it is one's duty to warrior in
suffering towards obedience, holiness and righteousness in Christ. See how the
following passages illustrate the battle in times of affliction:
II Samuel 12:16 David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted
and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground.
Psalm 77:2 - 11 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at
night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. 3I
remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit grew faint. 4You
kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak. 5I thought
about the former days, the years of long ago. 6I remembered my songs
in the night. My heart mused and my spirit inquired, 7"Will the
Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? 8Has his
unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? 9Has
God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?" 10Then
I thought, "To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most
High." 11I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will
remember your miracles of long ago.
Matthew 26:39 Going a
little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My
Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will,
but as you will.
Matthew 26:40 - 42 Then he returned to his disciples and found
them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?"
he asked Peter. 41"Watch and pray so that you will not fall
into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." 42He
went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for
this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."
Hebrews 5:7 - 9 During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he
offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could
save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8Although
he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9and, once
made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
Revelation
3:11 I am coming soon. Hold on
to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
When
Christ says that he would be coming soon, it alludes to the final times in
which we live and to comfort those who are waiting on him. God used this phrase throughout Scripture to
comfort his people in suffering.
Zephaniah 1:14 "The great day of the LORD is near--near and
coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be bitter, the
shouting of the warrior there
Isaiah 13:6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come
like destruction from the Almighty.
Ezekiel 30:3 For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near--a
day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.
Joel 1:15 Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it
will come like destruction from the Almighty.
Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For
the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
Obadiah 1:15 "The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As
you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own
head."
Zephaniah 1:7, 14 Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day
of the LORD is near. The LORD has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated
those he has invited. 14"The great day of the LORD is
near--near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be
bitter, the shouting of the warrior there."
Philippians 4:5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is
near!
James 5:8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's
coming is near. 9Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you
will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door.
As the Old
Testament declarations, that the day of the Lord is near, point to the end
times as a precursor, and also to His providential interventions from time to
time, so the New Testament declares the same thing but pointing to the final
return of the Messiah on the clouds.
We should,
therefore, not attach another meaning to these words than the promise of
comfort that it holds for the believer and horror of the threat of judgment for
the unbeliever.
Revelation 3:11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you
have, so that no one will take your crown.
Here Jesus
commands them to continue to hold on to what they have, which is, perseverance
and endurance with patience, as warriors.
Warriors, because, if they do not prevail, someone will take their
crown, indicating defeat and violence as they will, then, have lost the fight.
I Timothy 1:18, 19
Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the
prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the
good fight, 19holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have
rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.
Isaiah 62:3 You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD'S hand, a
royal diadem in the hand of your God.
I Corinthians 9:25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into
strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to
get a crown that will last forever.
I Thessalonians 2:19 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown
in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it
not you?
II Timothy 4:8 Now there is in store for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that
day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
James 1:12 Blessed is the
man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will
receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
I Peter 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive
the crown of glory that will never fade away.
The crown
that Jesus refers to here is the victory crown that the congregation will wear
as a result of their steadfastness and loyalty. They will have the shield of righteousness that protects them
from God's wrath.
Revelation
3:12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God.
Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the
name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of
heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
These
words echo the concepts of patient endurance, perseverance, and steadfastness:
the result of hardship endured as a good soldier of Christ Jesus (II Timothy
2:3) who endures and reign with Christ (v12).
I John 2:14 I write to you, fathers, because you have known him
who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
I John 5:5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Revelation 2:7 He who has
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who
overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the
paradise of God.
Revelation
3:12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never
again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of
the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from
my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
There are
several images of pillars in Scripture that illustrate the value of a pillar in
the structure of a building. There are
also images of people being considered as pillars, indicating the
responsibility and strength that they bear in the service of God.
Jeremiah 1:18 Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron
pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land--against the kings of
Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land.
Galatians 2:9 James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars,
gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the
grace given to me…
Even the
church is considered the pillar and foundation of the truth.
I Timothy 3:15 If I am delayed, you will know how people ought to
conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God,
the pillar and foundation of the truth.
So, to be
called a pillar in the service of God is a high honor and an enduring virtue.
Here Jesus promises to change those to a pillar in the temple of God who
overcomes, which reflects the crown that they will receive.
Judges 16:26, 30 Samson said to the servant who held his hand,
"Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I
may lean against them." 30Samson said, "Let me die with
the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the
temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he
died than while he lived.
This
reflects the importance of the pillars of the temple and when Samson removed
these pillars, the temple came crashing down. This lesson illustrates also the
importance of the pillars of the temple of God and the responsibility that each
one who is given this glorious task has to bear.
Job 9:6 He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars
tremble.
Psalm 75:3 When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who
hold its pillars firm.
Pillars
also served as a decoration in the temple.
I Kings 7:15 He cast two
bronze pillars, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits around, by line. 16He
also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each
capital was five cubits high. 17A network of interwoven chains
festooned the capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital. 18He
made pomegranates in two rows encircling each network to decorate the capitals
on top of the pillars. He did the same for each capital. 19The
capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four
cubits high.
The pillar
serves as a symbol of steadfastness, honor, and assurance to those who see
them, that the temple rests on a sure footing. The congregation that gains the
honor of becoming a pillar is sure of being in the presence of God, in his
temple as we see Jesus reveal it to John.
Revelation 3:12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the
temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the
name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is
coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new
name.
These
words give us the assurance that the future temple will remain forever and that
those who are in it will remain in it forever.
Revelation 3:12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the
temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him
the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which
is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new
name.
According
to ancient tradition titles of honor were engraved on temple pillars and in
this case God reveals that he will write three things on the pillar, namely, first
to whom the church belongs "I will write on him the name…" which
states the Name of their owner: God Almighty; and that they are in His
presence. secondly, the name of the city of my God, which is where the
church would be forever, which is the heavenly Jerusalem, called "the new
Jerusalem." It is called "new" to put it in contrast to the old
Jerusalem because the new Jerusalem is in essence, nature, and existence
completely different from the old Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem is the city that
descends from heaven, the heavenly kingdom, to which believers already have
citizenship in this life, expecting to live in the new Jerusalem forever with
Jesus in our new heavenly bodies.
Isaiah 26:1 - 4 In that day this song will be sung in the land of
Judah: We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts. 2Open
the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith. 3You
will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in
you. 4Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock
eternal.
Isaiah 65:17 "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new
earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to
mind."
John 5:28, 29 "Do not
be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will
hear his voice 29and come out--those who have done good will rise to
live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.
I Corinthians 15:54 When the perishable has been clothed with the
imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written
will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
Philippians 3:20, 21 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we
eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by
the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will
transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Colossians 3:4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you
also will appear with him in glory.
I John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we
will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall
be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
Hebrews 11:10, 16 For he was looking forward to the city with
foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 16… they were
longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to
be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Hebrews 12:22 But you have
come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You
have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly.
Hebrews 13:14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are
looking for the city that is to come.
Thirdly,
"I will write
on him my new name" refers to the name that the glorified Jesus will be
given after his mediation work has been completed.
Genesis 32:29 Jacob said,
"Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my
name?" Then he blessed him there.
Exodus 23:21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do
not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in
him.
Judges 13:18 He replied,
"Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding."
Matthew 11:27 "All
things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the
Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son
chooses to reveal him.
John 17:11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are
still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the
power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are
one.
Philippians 2:9 - 11 Therefore God exalted him to the highest
place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.
Revelation 19:12, 16 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his
head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he
himself. 16On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Revelation
3:13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Again, the
admonition to have open ears and hearts and listen to the words of the Holy
Spirit through the Scriptures.
Revelation
3:14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the
words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.
Laodicea
receives strong rebuke from Jesus.
Loadicia was the most prominent of the three greats of the time, the
other two being, Colosse and Hierapolis.
It was a major center of trade and transportation, located at a
crossroads on the road that reached from Mesopotamia across Asia Minor to the
Aegean Sea. It had a vibrant economy
and a medical college.
At about
60 AD the city was damaged by the same earthquake that damaged Philadelphia but
unlike the latter, Laodicea declined any assistance from the emporer and
rebuilt the city on their own.
[1]Laodicea was a prominent center if
banking and commerce, and after the earthquake some of its wealthy citizens
funded the construction or reconstruction of such public structures as a
stadium, a gymnasium, heated and covered walkways and baths, and massive new
city gates and towers. Laodicea was
also known for textile production, especially black woolen products.
Among its
cultural assets was a medical school founded by Zeuxis, a disciple of Heophilus
of Chalcedon, a leading dogmatic physician of the third century BC, who was
know to have written on ophthalmology.
Ancient sources mention a Phrygian powder that was used to make eye salve,
and the medical school at Laodicea was probably involved in developing this and
other pharmaceuticals. With is banks,
its medical center, and its textile industry, Laodicea hardly seemed to be
"poor and blind and naked" as described in Revelation 3:17.
Laodicea's
location in the Lycus River basin was strategic for trade and transportation
but far from ideal from the standpoint of a city's need for usable water.
Hierapolis, on a plateau some six miles north, had hot springs known for their
medicinal value. Colosse, ten miles to the east, received cool, pure drinking
water from a nearby mountain stream. Laodicea had neither. The water of the
Lycus River was and is "turbid with white mud" and "nauseous and
undrinkable." Remains of an aqueduct suggest that water may have been
channeled from hot springs five miles south of the city. For a city so affluent in financial
resources and self-sufficient in civic spirit, Laodicea ironically lacked a
basic resource, water to drink.
The city's
self-sufficient affluence was mirrored in the church, which Jesus rebukes for
its boast, "I am rich and have become wealthy, and have need of
nothing," and for its blindness to its destitution. (Revelation 3:17).
This is the only church about which Jesus has nothing good to say. Even Sardis
had a few undefiled Christians, but to this church Jesus must express his in
unmitigated reproof and discipline.
Revelation
3:14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words
of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.
Here Jesus
identifies himself again in another way. To call himself the "Amen"
is to equate himself to God, and this is one of the proof texts that proves
Jesus to be the Second Person of the Trinity, equal and consubstantial with the
Father. Jesus calls himself by this
name because everything that God spoke through Him is true. Jesus is the
ultimate and faithful, true witness; completely one with the Father.
John 5:19 Jesus gave them
this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he
can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the
Son also does."
II Corinthians 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made,
they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is
spoken by us to the glory of God.
Jesus is
the faithful ruler of God's creation.
Luke 10:22 "All
things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is
except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those
to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
Colossians 1:15 - 19 He is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created:
things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers
or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He
is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he
is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from
among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For
God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.
This
passage brings the creation in context with Jesus, as the Word of God that
created everything. Again, Jesus is one with the Father, through whom and by
whom everything was created.
It is,
therefore, also no accident that Jesus calls himself by three names, namely,
the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, and the Ruler of God's creation.
Revelation 3:15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold
nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other.
Jesus'
reproof here strikes at their heart, because they believe that they are very
successful and in terms of a "hot" or "cold" comparison,
they imagined themselves very "hot" and vibrant. But Christ exposes them as neither. They
lacked the zeal for the truth.
If they
had been cold, there could have been hope of repentance. If they had been hot,
there wouldn't have been a problem. But now that they are neither, they are
able to practice their faith with hypocrisy, shielding themselves from the
reproofs of the Word of God.
There is
no mention of any coercion or seduction from pagan idolatry, imperial cult, or
synagogue. There is no apparent theological threat from within. But they boast
about their wealth indicating how far down the road of materialism and
self-satisfaction they were with their situation; truly seduced by the harlot
of Babylon, who enriches the earth's merchants with her immoral wealth and
boasts, "I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn."
(18:7).
Their
knowledge of Scripture and the profession of their faith is not a pleasing
aroma before the throne of God, but instead, like their drinking water, it is
repugnant, just as repugnant as Jesus finds their testimonies and professions
when they are buried under layers of hypocrisy and deceit. They must truly have imagined that their
wealth would insulate them from need; confusing material wealth with spiritual
wealth.
The
"Amen" and faithful witness, Jesus Christ, had to tell them the hard
facts, stating without mincing with words, that they are blinded by smug
self-deception. Paul's letter to
Colossians, which was indirectly also intended for Laodicea, called Christ the
"beginning," the originator and ruler over all creatures great and
small. Loadicea must, therefore, know
that they should not take Jesus' rebuke lightly because it is from the Almighty
Himself. There is no appeal to Jesus' judgment upon them. They have to realize their destitution
before their repentance can take hold. Then they must flee to Jesus' arms
knowing that He is totally sufficient to rescue them from this road to great
disaster upon which they embarked.
Revelation 3:16 So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor
cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
To be
lukewarm in faith is to know the gospel, but without fire, blunted and
emotionless for the gospel. It is used
as a convenience and shield against reproof. Instead of moving them, they have
bankrupted their faith, using their hypocrisy as a vanity mirror, holding it over
those things that might accuse their consciences into repentance; only able to
see themselves in their pride.
Hebrews 4:2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just
as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those
who heard did not combine it with faith.
Hebrews 6:4 - 6 It is impossible for those who have once been
enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy
Spirit. 5Who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the
powers of the coming age. 6If they fall away, to be brought back to
repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over
again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
When Jesus
says that he will spit them out of his mouth, we must see the richness of this
judgment, where the mouth is identified as the way through which we celebrate
the sacrament, receive our faith through the preaching of the gospel, and so
on. We are in Christ, members of his
body, and spitting someone else out of his mouth indicates that final removal
from the body, separating someone from the Head. Jesus also declares with this
image his total disgust with them and the way in which one spits something from
one's mouth indicates Jesus' extreme dislike in them.
Revelation 3:17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and
do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched,
pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
This is
what they rely on for their boastful life. They claim that their wealth is the
cause of their freedom from need. Firstly, they are totally wrong,
because wealth creates new need and substitutes one type of need for another. Secondly,
they are blinded by their pride and cannot see that they are the most pitiful
of all, ready to be separated from Christ.
Revelation
3:17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.'
But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
Here Jesus
paints the real picture as seen from the Amen, the faithful Witness, unambiguous
and true. Jesus uses language that they understand, expressed in terms of
material wealth, only the lack thereof.
One cannot
help but recall David's attitude just before the prophet Nathan revealed to him
'you're the man' and David saw in how wretched a state he actually was. (II
Samuel 12:7). This church was in that state of oblivion when Jesus wrote this
letter to them, not realizing their poverty, blindness and nakedness.
Jesus is
fully acquainted with poverty because, though he was rich, he became poor for
our sakes so that through his poverty we might become rich. For the church in Laodicea, therefore, to
act spiritually rich while they are actually pitifully poor is repugnant before
Him.